Heel leveler and arch support



Au g. 4, 1936 F.'P, MCCORD I 2,050,109

HEEL LEVELER AND ARCH SUPPORT Filed July 25, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor I 22/4 Eb/"CZ Aug. 4, 1936. F. P. McCORD 2,050,109

HEEL LEVELER AND ARCH SUPPORT Filed July 23, 1 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invnlor Z a/1 Gama a mm A Home};

Aug. 4, 1936. F. P. M coRD HEEL LEVELER AND ARCH SUPPORT Filed July 25, 1955 .'5 Sheets-Sheet 3' lnvenlor If. r/Z 50rd Patented Aug. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES HEEL LEVELER AND ARCH SUPPORT Frank P. McCord, Mexico, M0., assignor of onehalf to George D. Talley, Mexico, Mo.

Application July 23, 1935, Serial No. 32,791

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a heel leveler and arch support.

The primary object of the present invention is the construction of a support for human feet 5 which allows leveling of the feet as in the case of weak or rotated ankle trouble, and this feature is accomplished by panel inserts that lock in the support in a manner that prevents shifting of the inserts.

10 Another feature of the present invention is the construction in a foot support that provides a concaved rest or crotch when the insert panels are arranged in side by side relation for the reception of the convex shape of the heel bone therefore compelling an even bearing over the entire surface of the heel thereby relieving to a great extent painful heel trouble caused by the pivoting of the tuberosity of the oscalcis or end of the heel bone.

20 Another advantage of the present invention is the design of the insert panels and the locking features on the support to accommodate the panels that permits the elevation and consequent lowering of either the inside or the outside of the 25 heel by merely inverting one or the other of the insert panels.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a foot support of the character referred to that is strong, compact and durable, thoroughly reliable 30 for its intended purpose, and that is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists of a novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be 35 hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specification wherein is disclosed the preferred ,embodiment of the invention, butv it is to be understood that changes, variations, and modifications 40 maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit of the claims hereunto appended.

In thedrawings wherein like reference characters denote the corresponding parts throughout the several views:

45 Figure 1 is a top plan view of a relatively short arch support constructed with the features of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view thereof having a portion of the lower plate broken away.

50 Figure 3 is a bottom plan view thereof with the insert panels and arch support pad removed.

Figure 4 is an inside elevation thereof.

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken substan- 55 tiallyon lines 5-5 f;Figure. 1.

Figure 6 is a plan view of one of the insert panels removed from the device.

fiigure 7 is a plan view of the arch supporting pa Figure 8 is a transverse section taken substantially on line 88 of Figure '7.

Figure-9 is a bottom plan view of a full length arch support showing an adaptation therewith of amodified form of the insert panels.

Figure 10 is a bottom plan view of Figure 9 with 10 the arch supporting pad and insert panels removed.

Figure 11 is a plan view of the insert panels of the modified form of the invention removed from the arch support. 15

Figure 12 is a. rear elevation of the insert panels.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A indicates the body of the support composed of two flexible plates l5, [6 preferably made of leather. With the exception of the arch supporting wing I1 2 formed on the inside edge of the upper plate l5, the pair of plates coincide in configuration and j conform to the shape of the rear portion of human feet. Except. for the arrangement of the keeper slots and the length of the'body portions thesupport illustrated in Figures 9 and 10 is the same as the body of the support shown in Figures 1 to 8 of the drawings. Upper plate l5 and lower .plate It are stitched together at l8 and this stitching extends entirely around the margins of. the plates. By uniting the plates by stitching around the margins thereof, there is provided a free space or pocket l9 between the two plates and inwardly of the stitching. It will be understood therefore, that all of the slots, as will hereafter be described, form entrances to the pocket 19 which is continuous throughout. the entire confronting area between the plates and to the inside of the marginal stitching l8.

- In the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive. and the form shown in Figures 9 and 10, there is a keeper slot 20 in lower plate It and a like slot 20' in plate N5 of the modified form. These slots 20 and 20 respectively are formed along the inside margin of the respective plates adjacent to and inside of the stitching l8. These slots 20 and 20' respectively register withthe. pocket 19 for detachably receiving the arch supporting pads indicated generally at B.

The arch supporting pad B is formed with a pad. tongue 2! on the outer side which is segmental-like in configuration and the curved edge thereof is free to extend through the slots 20 or 20' The chord side of the tongue 2| merges with. an extension having a forward tab 22 and a rearward tab 23. The extension projects free of the slots or 20 and substantially conforms in shape with the wing I! on the upper plate l5. The arch support B together with the wing I! forms a raised area under the inner longitudinal arch of the foot for supporting the same. The pad portion 2| of the arch supporting pad B feathers on the free edges and thickens toward the center thereof as will be seen by referring to Figure 8 of the drawings. The thickness at the center of the pad may be varied to meet the various foot conditions.

Forwardly of the center the plate l6 has a pair of transversely extending aligned keeper slots 24 which are located forwardly of the forward end of the slot 29. The confronting ends of the slots 24 are spaced from each other. In the heel area of the plate I6 is a pair of longitudinal keeper slots and these slots 25 are located slightly to the rear of the rear end of the respective slots 25 and 20'. The pair of slots 24 and the pair of slots 25 register with the pocket l9.

When it is desired to arrange the insert panels C and D to form a crotch for the reception of the concaved heel bone of the foot these panels are arranged in side by side relation as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings. In this relation the confronting edges 26 of the panels .are substantially straight. The panels C and D are elongated in configuration and extend from the heel to the longitudinal arch of the foot. On the forward end, each panel is formed with a tongue 21 and a transverse shoulder 28 merging therewith. The outer edge 29 of each panel is curved and at the heel end of the panel the curved edge merges with the straight edge 25. In the center, each panel has a pair of slots 30, 3| extending from the straight edge 26 outwardly. The forward slot 30 is perpendicular to the straight edge 26. The rearward slot 3i forms a right angle and also extends from the straight edge outwardly. The apex of the angle is disposed in the body portion and the one leg opens through the straight edge 26. The formation of the slots 30, 3| provides a right angled tongue on each panel which tongue is indicated at 32. The insert panels C and D gradually decrease in thickness transversely from the outer edges to the confronting edges as will be understood by referring to Figures 5 and 12. When the panels are disposed in side by side relation the tapering thicknesses form a concavity transversely of the support A. The panels C and D are formed of flexible leather. To insert the panels C and D the body of the panel is first disposed at right angles to the body A of the support in which position the free end of tongue 32 is inserted in the slot 25. By turning the body of the panel parallel with the body A the free end of tongue 32 recedes in the pocket to the dotted line position indicated in Figure 2 of the drawings. In this position, the tongue 21 is flexed rearwardly until it extends through the slot 24 in the forward end of the body A. To remove the panels the reverse of the foregoing operation will apply.

It sometimes happens in the treatment of foot trouble that it is desirable to make one of the panels shorter than the other as shown in Figures 9 to 11 of the drawings. In this event, there are formed a pair of spaced slots 33 in the plate IS. These slots 33 extend at a diagonal to the transverse dimension of the body A and these slots are located between the pair of slots 24 and the pair of slots 25. Slots 33 are located substantially midway of the slot 20" and they open into the pocket l9. The one panel D is formed in all respects similar to the panel D in the form of the invention at Figure 6. When it is desired to shorten the panel C this short panel is provided with a longitudinal slot 34 extending from the forward end rearwardly a portion of the length of the panel. The slot 34 forms the tongue 35 at the forward end which fits into one or the other of the slots 33. The extension 35 on the outside of the panel D lies fiat on the plate l6 as will be understood by referring to Figure 9 of the drawings. Except for the shortened length of the panel C, this panel and panel D are formed in all other respects the same as the panels C and D.

By the foregoing construction, the panels C, D and C and D may be disposed one below the other on the same side of the body A in the event it is desired to make the body of the support slope from the outside to the inside or vice versa. That is to say, the heel portion of the support may be raised on the inside or the outside of the heel by the double thickness of the two insert panels placed one over the other. To accomplish this purpose the parts may be transferred without further modification of the body A other than making slots slightly longer than the Width of the tongues which they receive to allow the plate l6 or IE to bulge outwardly to accommodate two thicknesses of the tongues.

Considering the form of the invention like in Figure 2 of the drawings, where the insert panels C and D are the same length, all that is necessary to be done to make two thicknesses of the panels is to remove either panel from the locking slots 24 and 25 and turn the panel that has been removed on its axis through 180 degrees. The turning makes the panels coincide in configuration throughout and in this superimposed relation the slope will be in the direction from the center of the body A outwardly to the inside or the outside depending upon which side of the body A the insert panels have been placed in superimposed relation. When the one panel has been placed on the other, after reversing, the tongues on the reversed panels fit into the same slots as the tongues on the panels on which it is placed.

From an inspection of Figures 9 and 10 it will be obvious that the insert panels 0 and D may both be placed in superimposed relation to one side or the other as in the case of the panels C and D which latter are the same length. However, in transferring the shorter panel C to the side of the panel D it will be necessary to remove panel D and place the short panel C under the latter, after the short panel has been turned. In this event, tongue 35 will fit in the inner slot 33 of the pair, and tongue 32 will fit in the inner slot 25 of the pair. In applying the panel D to the side of the panel C the latter being on the bottom, the transfer may be made without disturbing panel C.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. The combination with an arch support of a pair of flexible detachable panels disposed longitudinally of the support in side by side relation, said panels being thinner on their confronting edges than they are on the outside edges, and said panels formed with locking means on the ends and intermediate portions cooperating with the arch support to prevent shifting of the panels with respect to the arch support. v

2. The combination with an arch support of a pair of flexible detachable panels disposed longitudinally of the support in side by side relation,

said panels being thinner on their confronting edges than they are on the outside edges, said panels formed with locking means cooperating with the arch support to prevent shifting of the panels with respect to the arch support, and one of said panels being longer than the other,

3. A foot support comprising a pair of elongated flexible plates united at certain portions about their margins leaving pockets between the free portions, and said plates conforming in shape with the rear portion of the foot, one of the plates formed with slots registering with the pockets, a pair of flexible detachable panels disposed longitudinally of the plates in side by side relation, said panels being thinner on their confronting edges than they are on their outside edges, and a locking tongue on each panel cooperating with the pockets between the plates for detachably securing the panels to the plates.

4. A foot support comprising a pair of elongated flexible plates united at certain portions about their margins leaving pockets between the free portions, and said plates conforming in shape with the rear portion of the foot, one of the plates formed with slots registering with the pockets, a pair of flexible detachable panels disposed longitudinally of the plates in side by side relation, said panels being thinner on their confronting edges than they are on their outside edges, and a locking tongue on the forward terminal and on the inside edge of each panel cooperating with the pockets between the plates for detachably securing the panels to the plates.

5. A foot support comprising a pair of elongated flexible plates united at certain portions about their margins leaving pockets between the free portions, and said plates conforming in shape with the rear portion of the foot, one of the plates formed with slots registering with the pockets, a pair of flexible detachable panels disposed longitudinally of the plates in side by side relation, said panels being thinner on their confronting edges than they are on their outside edges, a. locking tongue on the forward terminal and on the inside edge of each panel cooperating with the pockets between the plates for detachably securing the panels to the plates, and one of said panels being longer than the other.

6. The combination with an arch support of a. flexible detachable panel disposed longitudinally of the support, said panel being thinner on its inside edge than it is on the outside edge, said arch support equipped with keeper means on the both sides of the longitudinal median thereof and locking means on the panel cooperating with the keeper means on either side of the arch support to detachably secure the panel to one or the other side of the support.

FRANK P. MCCORD. 

